Kenny Logan Jr. seeks an electrifying kickoff return to start KU’s football season
Kenny Logan Jr. would love to be the first player to touch the football in Friday’s Kansas football season opener at Booth Memorial Stadium.
“If we get the chance to take the ball or they defer, I would be very excited to get back there and and get the chance to return the opening kickoff,” Logan, KU’s 6-foot-0, 210-pound senior safety/kick returner said, smiling, during a recent preseason training camp interview in the Jayhawks’ indoor practice facility.
The St. Augustine, Florida native, who has returned kicks for KU the last three seasons, was referring to getting a chance to try to make an electrifying play at the start of Friday’s nonconference game against Tennessee Tech.
Kickoff is 7 p.m. with a livestream available on ESPN+.
Logan broke free on an 100-yard return for a touchdown in a 52-22 loss to Iowa State on Oct. 31, 2020 in Lawrence. That score came in game six of Logan’s sophomore season at KU. He also snagged his first career interception (he has three in three seasons) in that contest versus the Cyclones.
Logan’s dash tied for the second longest kick return in school history (with Greg Heaggans vs. Missouri State in 2002, Eric Vann vs. Oklahoma in 1996 and June Henley vs. Colorado in 1993). Art Pooler, the KU kick return record holder, took back a kickoff 108 yards for a score vs. Oklahoma in 1905.
“I still think about it to this day,” Logan said of his long kickoff return. “It was in the end zone. I caught it over my right shoulder. When I spun around, the momentum was already bringing me out. I ran out and followed the blockers — Ben Miles and other guys. When I hit the crease it was me and the kicker. I felt the back guy on me. I gave the kicker a nice little move and it was over from there. The crowd roar had me excited,” added Logan, who would love to repeat the feat.
Last year Logan embarked on an 83-yard kickoff return but did not make it to the end zone in a 17-14 season-opening win over South Dakota in Lawrence.
“That was fun too,” Logan said. He retrieved a third quarter kickoff at the 4 and carried it all the way to the 13 where he was finally downed. KU did not score on that drive.
“I followed my blockers. Those guys opened a crease for me. I hit it. Luke Grimm came in at the end, gave one of those guys who was pursuing me a nice little shove,” Logan recalled. “I kind of slowed up and jumped over the kicker. I wasn’t able to get my landing gear out. I’m ready to get back out there and try to get home on one of those.”
Logan, an accomplished safety who was recently named first-team preseason all-Big 12, was asked what he enjoys more — defense or special teams?
“Both,” he said. “Being on kick return gives me the ability to have the ball in my hands which I love. At safety I love being the down guy, being able to strike people and get the ball out of there.”
Logan is tasked with trying to help the Jayhawks defense improve on a year ago when it allowed 487 yards and 42 points a game in a 2-10 season.
“When people outside (the program) ask, I tell them we’re going to be very good,” Logan said. “I tell them this team has taken a lot of steps in the right direction to make a big push this year.”
Of the defense, he stated: “We want to play fundamental, mentally sound football down to down. Everybody on the defensive side of the ball has gotten better and has tried to pick it up a notch.”
Logan — he said he’s intent on emerging as a leader his senior season — indicated “having pride in everything we do,” will be a goal of the defensive unit.
“I feel our team has taken that to another level because we don’t want to go through that again,” Logan said of the 2-10 season. “It’s how we’re going about this season. If we don’t take pride in what we’re doing why are we here?”
Logan was a bright spot on defense in the first year of the Lance Leipold era.
He led the Big 12 in tackles (113), the most by a KU player since 2018. He had five games with at least 10 tackles, including a career-high 15 tackles at TCU. Against the Horned Frogs, he also recorded two tackles-for-loss, becoming the first Kansas defensive back to have 15 tackles and multiple tackles for loss in a game since Chris Harris in 2009.
Along with his six pass breakups, he had an interception against Texas Tech.
“He means so much,” Leipold said, “not just in his play but his work in the transition. There are parts of the program these young men didn’t control, including the amount of changes they’ve gone through (in coaching changes).
“Kenny could have hit the eject button (and transferred or turned pro) like some other people decided to do. Kenny has found a good home in Lawrence. It’s important to him,” Leipold added of Logan wanting the football program to become a winner. “His example in the locker room, his passion on game day and the way he flies around the football field is something we’ll always kind of build on.”
This story was originally published August 29, 2022 at 10:25 AM with the headline "Kenny Logan Jr. seeks an electrifying kickoff return to start KU’s football season."
